New Beer and Brewery Friday 4/21/17

I love it when a new brewery hits on Friday. It's like Pie and Beer Day got all freaky with Christmas! So we'll start this special New Beer Friday off with all the new suds the RoHa Brewing Project which will officially open at 11am today.
 
The RoHa Brewing Project - Back Porch Pale Ale: Clear ruby color. The nose is mostly bready malts, with a bit of pine and citrus peel. The taste starts malty with caramel and butterscotch which quickly slides into an herbal hop bite combined with pine and orange peel. 4.0% ABV @ RoHa

The RoHa Brewing Project - Big Green Couch DIPA: Clear ruby color. The nose has caramel, toffee, grapefruit and light orange. The taste starts with toffee and caramel along with light melon notes. Grapefruit comes next with a bolder and lingering finish of caramel sweetness, some light alcohol, some grapefruit and light citrus flavors, as well as some healthy hop bitterness. Plenty of sweetness up front here as well. 8.0% ABV @ RoHa

The RoHa Brewing Project - Kensington Grand Saison: Clear ruby color. The nose is grainy and fruity with some light yeast phenols and spice. The taste is less grainy than aroma, not much biscuit or wheat, then sweeter esters with some light yeast byproducts. It's sweet, bready and lightly dry. Earthy hops round out the end. Very light dryness on the finish. 6.8% ABV @ RoHa

The RoHa Brewing Project - Three Deep American Ale: Clear ruby color. The nose is light with some biscuit malt and earthy/leafy hops. The taste has light earthy and leafy hops mixed with lightly sweet biscuit malt. Some citrus peel on the back end dries out the finish. 4.0% ABV @ RoHa

The RoHa Brewing Project - Thursday IPA:  Clear ruby color. The nose has slight citrus, pine and is a bit bready. The taste starts with lemon, pine and tangerine. Malt sweetness comes in next with some floral bitterness. Clean finish but the hops still lingers on the palate. 6.5% ABV @ RoHa

Wasatch - Snowbird Session IPA: This being released today at the Utah Brewers Cooperative. It's described as being North East Style Session IPA. 4.0% ABV @ UBC

Squatters - Aussie Hop Pale Ale: Grapefruit in the nose with some caramel. The taste has some berry qualities with vague sweet citrus flavors. Some pithy bitterness in the finish. Nice, super crushable. 4.0% ABV @ Squatters

Boulevard - Changeling: The nose is tart berries and not much else. The taste starts with a big tart punch. Plum and raspberries dark malts dominate. Not terribly complex but very tasty. Mouth feel is a little prickly but it works well. Medium body. Probably a little pricey for what it is. 7.3% ABV

Fisher - The Chocolate Conspiracy Nitro Stout: . Faint milk chocolate and hints of roasted malt in the nose. The taste follows with subtle cocoa and roasted malts. Not super sweet but there is a hint of vague spices in the finish. On the light side. 4.0% ABV @ Fisher Brewing

Samuel Adams - Rebel Juiced IPA: Not tried this one yet. @DABC 6.2% ABV

Dog Tag - Legacy Lager: Not tried this one yet. @ DABC 5.0% ABV

Prost!

New Beer Friday 3/24/17

The sweet 16 Round is over in the Utah Beer Challenge's High Point Competition and there were a few upsets. Shades of Pale's Salt City Citrus had a big win over perennial favorite, Labyrinth from Uinta and 2 Row's Dark Alley edged out what many believe is Utah's best local beer, Big Bad Baptist. It's all listed above in all of it's "bracketie glory". The Elite Eight round will begin on Monday morning.

Now, on to New Beer Friday!

Uinta 24th Birthday Suit - Mostly tart, cherry is subtle with some floral notes. You get a bit spiciness from the Belgian yeast. Overall: not the best year for this beer but it's still very refreshing and drinkable. 6.2% ABV @ Uinta

New Belgium Juicy Watermelon - Melon notes are present along with lime, but not over powering.. light pale malt and some background citrus hoppiness. A slightly tart, refreshing bright fruity pilsner. Has a definite artificial flavor. 5.0% ABV @ DABC

Sam Adams Fresh as Helles - The nose is grainy with cracker-like pale malts along with a mix of citrus fruitiness. The taste is bready and doughy with a bit of caramel and cereal. Vague citrus comes next with some earthy/floral hops rounding out the back end. This isn't a textbook Helles but it is quite enjoyable. @ DABC

Anchor Liberty IPA -This is not Anchor's Liberty Ale - a beer that most beer historians consider to be the original American IPA. This is a re-imagining of that beer. The nose is citrusy with bready/fruity malts. Pine and citrus dominate with bready malt and ripe fruit in the back. The finish is bright and hoppy. It's a simple - not too gaudy IPA. 5.9% ABV @ DABC

Bonneville 4th Anniversarye -  Haven't tried this one yet. This year’s beer features malted rye, caramel rye and big blasts of Eureka hops. It's also fermented with lager yeast at room temperature to add an additional twist to the flavor profile. The result is earthy, spicy and herbal with splashes of citrus and pine. A big, round mouthfeel that transforms into a snappy dry finish. 4.0% ABV @ Bonneville, Allstar Lanes and where there's a Bonneville seasonal tap handle.

Lagunitas Bavarian Style Dopple Weizen - The nose has banana bread, clove and honey. The taste starts with sweet banana bread and clove with pepper and spices lingering throughout. Bubblegum and orange peel round out the end. Finishes witha bit of herbal bitterenss. Quite a departure from the typical Lagunitas offering. 8.7% ABV @ Beerhive, DABC

Proper Hop vs Hop release #6 - Missed out on this one last night. This version features Idaho 7 and Wakatu hops from New Zealand. Look for resinous pine and citrus combined with stone fruit and tropical notes.7.6% ABV @ Proper

Elysian Split Shot -There's a good balance here of coffee and milk sugars. has a slight cappuccino feel. If you like your coffee beers this will please you. 6.0% ABV @ Beer Bar

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/6/17

To start the year you get either IPAs or stouts. It's not my call, that's just the way it is. Luckily all of this week's New Beer Friday options are all damn tasty. Enjoy!

Blue Moon Cappuccino Oatmeal Stout - The nose has dark malts and coffee. The tastes has nice cappuccino flavors with raisin, roasty grains, chocolate malts, and a little bit of hop bitterness. Finishes nice and dry. This a pretty decent coffee stout.4.0% ABV @ Grocery/C-stores

New Belgium VooDoo Ranger IIPA - The nose is mostly pine with some orange peel. The taste starts with bready malts and papaya. Pine resins come next with a dose of mango. The end is all pine & grapefruit. Finishes dry piney and grapefruity. 9.0% ABV @ DABC


New Belgium Whizbang Hoppy Blonde - The nose has a nice bouquet hoppy tropical fruits. The flavor is much of the same with more tropical fruit, caramel malts and a bit of pine. Semi-dry finish. 5.7% ABV @ DABC, Bayou

Proper Grand Sláinte Imperial Stout - Not had this yet. This releases on Saturday in both the bottle shop and the brewery on Main Street. Avenues Proper has done a session-strength Sláinte in years past, but this is the first high-point version.

2Row Tastes Like Citrus IPA - This is a North East Style IPA. These are typically cloudy in appearance - like a hefeweizen. This beer looks a bit like Orange Juice, which is helpful because this a citrus bomb. The nose has a massive grapefruit, tangerine, orange, peach and pineapple thing going on. Smells incredible. The taste follows the nose. Grapefruit, orange, tangerine and lemon zest. Slight pineapple and stone fruit mix with a bit of grass. Bready/cracker malts balance out the fruit salad. minimal bitterness in the finish - nearing sweet. Crazy good! 2 Row is becoming Salt Lake's IPA House. 7.5% ABV @2 Row Brewing, Beerhive

Samuel Adams Hopscape - The nose has citrus/fruity hops and tropical fruit. The flavor has wheaty/cracker malts, tropical fruit and citrus. The end resiny and spicy. Finishes dry. Solid offering from Boston Beer Co. 5.5% ABV @DABC

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Golden IPA - The nose has citrus, pine, spice with a wheaty malts. The taste follows notes of orange and grapefruit along with pine and lesser spicy snap. Vague tropical fruits come next with wheat undertones. Some mild pith and pine in the finish. Another solid IPA
from Sierra Nevada. 6.5% ABV @ DABC, Bayou

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/2/16

Squatters Holiday Spiced Ale - This described as being made with Bengal tea, plus cinnamon, roasted chicory, roasted carob, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, cloves and nutmeg. These create a complex yet inviting aroma and flavor to his new holiday treat. 4.0% ABV

Samuel Adams Winter Lager - Nice flavors of ginger, allspice and nutmeg with a surrounding malty breadlines with hints of sweetness and a medium hop bitterness. A nice drinking brew with a decent combination of spice and malty sweetness. 5.6% ABV

2 Row Amber Ale - This is 2 Row's first 4.0% offering. The nose is mostly pine and citrus. The taste starts with biscuit and some nut brown and caramel notes. The hops a re a nice blend of pine and citrus peel. They complement each other well. The end is mildly earthy. 4.0% ABV @ 2 Row, Beer Bar BeerHive, East Liberty Tap House. Check these locations first before making the trip. The beer is in, but waiting for tap handles to free up.

Stone Best Before 12/12/25/16 - Pours hazy golden color with a mouthwatering nose of citrus, tropical fruits, pine, and bread. The is a massive juicy explosion of citrus, following through to the slightly bitter finish. A slight hint of booze comes though in the end as well. Nice beer, a little less enamel destroying than some releases. 9.4% ABV @ Beerhive, Bayou, Slackwater

Stone Best After 12/24/16 -  Hazy apricot color with a mostly yeasty brett nose along with nice citrus hops. The flavor follows. less hoppy than the nose but the brett funk is more pronounced. Need to try this again after the recommended date. 7.0% ABV @ Beerhive, Bayou, Slackwater

Cheers!

New Beer Friday: A Beer is No One - Edition

There's quite a diverse crowd of beers this week. Plenty to keep a faceless man, well... um..."faced".

Samuel Adams Nitro Coffee Stout - The nose has nice espresso and roasted malts with a bit of dark chocolate. The tastes starts malty sweet with dark roast coffee and a bit of toffee and cocoa. Nice and creamy in the mouth, thanks to the nitro. Tasty. 5.8% ABV @ DABC, Bayou

Samuel Adams Nitro IPA - Pours a clear gold honey hue with a good two fingers of nitro head. The nose has subtle citrus hops. The taste light with grassy and citrus hop along with muted malts. Finishes fairly bitter and dry. Creamy mouthfeel. 7.5% ABV @ DABC, Bayou

Deschutes Pinot Suave - Pours black and opaque with little head. the nose has Port wine, prunes and alcohol. The taste is more mellow that the aroma, There are tons of tart dark fruit - like prune, dates and current. The wine notes from the barrels are very apparent and add a nice vinous tartness. Notes of char and dark cocoa round out the back. finishes slightly tart and dry. It's listed at 11.2% - mine listed it at 11.8% ABV. @Beer Bar, BeerHive

Coney Island Hard Orange Cream Ale - It's what you'd expect from a cream soda, very creamsicle-like, with a little alcohol bite. Best in small doses. 5.0% ABV @ Bayou, DABC

Samuel Smith's Organic Apricot - Not tried this one yet. I imagine there's apricot flavors somewhere in there. 5.1% ABV @Slackwater

What did I miss? please share!

Cheers!

New Beer Friday!!! 6/8/12

It's a "big ass" New Beer Friday! We haven't had one of the these in a while, so strap in, it may get bumpy.

Sierra Nevada's Hoptimum: Mikey wait long time for this one! Sweet caramel tones quickly give way to BIG aromas of floral, piney, and citrusy hops, hints of resin, orange, grapefruit, lemon and grass make for a BIG nose. The BIG hoppy flavors of citrus, pine, and grass all carry over onto the pallet before blending very well with a sweet caramel malty backbone, hints of alcohol linger in the finish. Hopitumum is well balanced for a staggering 100 IBU brew, and features a medium-full body and moderate levels of carbonation. BIG, BOLD, DELICIOUS! @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Lagunitas Imperial Red Ale:  The nose is a tropical fruit hop bomb with rich, malts beneath. The taste is aggressively tropical-hoppy at first, but has a sweeter, maltier finish than an IPA would have. The mouthfeel is fairly heavy and well-carbonated. Overall, this is a solid hoppy red. Very, very tasty! @Beerhive

Widmer Hefeweizen: Yeasty aroma of wheat, floral notes, dough, and lemon cookies. Tastes of lemon cookies, wheat, floral notes, dough, yeasty, citrus juice and a bitter, dry finish with a yeasty coating comes through. Medium body, creamy with light carbonation. A wonderful Hefe. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Widmer Drop Top Amber: A bit of bready malt in the nose, with some vaguely tart fruity character, accompanied by a balanced, freshly herbal hop presence. The taste has a somewhat biscuity flavor up front with some caramel sweetness. Surprisingly tart in the end, although not over the top. Hop bitterness is middle-of-the-road, with a balanced fruity and herbal flavor. Not bad. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Widmer Rotator IPA (Shaddock):  Made with grapefruit peel, it has light grapefruit in the nose with a sweet grainy malt is present. Seems rather spicy and earthy as well. The hop bitterness balances well with the lightly sweet caramel and biscuity malt. Pine, grass, and earthy hops are up front, and yet finish with a nice citrus and spicy punch. A very tasty offering. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Kona Longboard: The nose is very clean with slight notes of grain and grass. The tastes follows suit with notes of bread and grain, light herbs and a little bite of hops to even things out. Mouthfeel is pretty good and refreshing. A very nice light-bodied lager. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale: The nose is of bread/biscuit-like malt and some subdued hop aromas. Taste is of citrus zest and floral hops up front with a solid malt backbone. Mild bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and clean mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good pale ale with a nice balance between the malt and hops in the taste. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

RedHook ESB: You may have had this in the past and thought, "this ain't so great". It's worth revisiting, a lot of the previous flaws have been fixed. The nose has faint aromas of floral/fruity hops with a little bit of toasty malts in the background. Pretty nice balance, but just not enough of either one really jump out. Caramel malts are frontrunners on the flavor. This finishes with a pretty decent bitter hop flavor. Again, this one is pretty balanced. The feel is light with good lively carbonation. Overall not bad. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Long Hammer IPA: The nose is hoppy, floral with some grassiness and lemon notes. The taste definitely has the hops come out strong. The mouthfeel is well carbonated and medium bodied and finishes with some of the grassiness and hops. Overall, not a bad IPA, and for an IPA, I would have this again. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Full Sail Phil's Existential Alt: Malty nose with some caramel notes; it's heavier on the biscuit/bread than on the caramel/sweet side. There is also a dash of earthy/noble hop character. The taste is a creamy concoction of bread and caramel, with a little bit of biscuit at the end and a balanced bitterness. More tilted to the caramel side than the aroma, I rather like the flavor. Mouthfeel is medium with a good, creamy carbonation. I like it. @ Liquor stores now

Angry Orchard Apple Ginger: I judged this at the Mountain Brewers Festival. We gave it a gold medal. Good ginger notes that don't overpower the base cider. Quite tasty and different. @ Liquor stores now

Angry Orchard Crisp Cider: We gave this one the Silver Medal. The names says it all. Crisp and dry apples. Very tasty. @ Liquor stores now

Go get 'em!

Cheers!